Brick-machine.



E. F. WEGE. BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN}. 1913.

Patented Apr.20, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. F'HOTG-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D c

E. F. WEGE.

BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 3, 1913.

1,136,743. Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

4 SHEETSSH BET 2.

1H5 NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTOJJTHOU WASHINCTQN, D. C.

E. F. WEGE.

BRICK MACHINE.

APPLWATION FILED JAN 3. 1913.

Patented. Ap1n20, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

PE. 99 3 EH 1 4 J 8! J J/ a THE NORRIS PETERS C0, F'HOTO-LITHQ, WASH/NON"; 2/.

E. F. WEGE.

BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION nuso mu 3. 191a.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

a W EN wi/lm/woeo mam THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

ES arnnr armors.

ERNEST IE. WEGE, OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO STERLING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF LA CRESCENT, MINNESOTA.

BRICK-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST F. WEGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in brick machines.

One object of the invention is to provide a brick machine having an improved construction and arrangement of molds where by bricks or blocks of various sizes and shapes may be formed.

Another object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of tamping mechanism whereby all of the plastic bricks in the mold may be simultaneously tamped.

With these and other objects in view, the

vinvention consists of certain novel features of constructlon, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure .1 is a front elevation of my improved brick machine showing the tampers in raised position; Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine with the tampers raised and the sides and partitions of the mold in a .retracted or inoperative position; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the sides and partitions of the mold projected and the tampers lowered or in operative position; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section with the sides and partitions of the mold in a projected or operative position and the tampers in a raised and inoperative position; Fig. 5' is a cross sectional view with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a top plan view with the sides and partitions of the mold in a projected or operative position and the tampers lowered; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a slightly modified construction and arrangement of the mold parts, whereby, blocks or bricks of special size and shape may be formed; Fig. 8 is a side view of the same with the parts in the position as shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of one of the pallets of the mold showing the size and shape of the 'blocks or bricks formed by the modified Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1915. Serial No. 749,072.

construction of the 7 and 8.

In the embodiment of the invention, I provide a supporting frame comprising side pieces or standards 1 which are connected together and spaced a suitable distance apart by front and rear bracing plates 2. Secured to the top of the frame 1 is a mold bed or pallet supporting frame comprising front bars 3 and rear bars 4 which are connected near their ends and intermediate their ends by a series of cross bars 5, said cross bars being preferably formed in two overlapping sections, having therein slots 5 with which are engaged bolts 5 whereby said sections of the bars are adjustably secured together. By thus forming the cross bars of the mold bed the width of the latter may be increased or diminished and the size of the mold varied in this direction. On the two sections of the end cross bars 5 are formed lugs 6 which are bolted rigidly to the upper ends of the standards 1 as shown. To the front and rear bars of the mold bed or pallet supporting frame are a series of upwardly projecting plates 7, said plates being spaced slight distances apart and bolted at their lower ends to the bars 3 and 1 to form the front and rear ends of the mold.

Secured to and depending from the rear bar i of the bed or pallet supporting frame near its ends are sleeves t in which by set screws 8 or suitable means are adjustably fixed rearwardly extending guide rods 8 which are preferably of cylindrical form and have slidably mounted thereon an end and partition supporting bar 9 on which is formed a series of upwardly projecting plates 10. The plates 10 are disposed in parallel relation and placed suitable dis tances apart and are'braced and secured together at their upper ends by a cross bar 11. In the plates 10 are formed pairs of slots 12 adapted to receive the fastening bolt 13 of a series of end and partition plates 14: which are bolted at their rear ends to the plates 10 as shown. Depending from the bar 9 near its ends are sleeves 15 which are slidably engaged with the supporting and guiding rods 8 of the mold bed. WVhen thus arranged and supported the end and partition plates 14 are adapted to be projected to an operative position above the mold bed or pallet supporting frame and directly across the face of a pallet 16 which rests on said frame mold illustrated in Figs.

and is preferably formed of wood. W'hen the plates 14 are thus projected they will pass throughthe spaces between the front 7 or drawn back on the rods 8 until the forward ends of the plates are clear of the pallet whereupon the latter together with the bricks or blocks molded thereon may be lifted from the mold bed or frame 3 and set aside for the bricks to harden, after which another pallet may be placed in position on the mold bed or frame, and the partition plates again projected for forming another set of bricks or blocks. By constructing and arranging the partition plates 14 as herein shown and described, it will be obvious that any or all of the same may be removed, thus permitting bricks or blocks of desired width to be formed. By adjusting the sections of the cross bars 5 on each other, the length of the bricks may be regulated to a considerable extent; and the height of the bricks is of course controlled by the depth of the material placed on the pallet. It will also be understood that while the machine shown in the accompanying drawings is capable of making six bricks, at one operation, the machine may be constructed and arranged for forming any desired number of bricks at one time.

In order to project and retract the plates 14, I provide a suitable operating mechanism comprising a rock shaft 17 which is mounted to turn in suitable bearings 18 in the members or standards 1 of the supporting frame. Fixedly mounted on the shaft 17 midway between its ends is a crank arm 19 having its free end pivotally connected to a yoke shaped frame 20, the ends of which are pivotally connected with the lugs 15 on the bar 9 which supports the partition plates. One

7 end of the shaft 17 is fixedly secured to an operating lever 21 by means of which the shaft may be rocked and the crank arm 19 thereby actuated to project and retract the plates 14: to operative and inoperative positions as hereinbefore described.

Secured to the rear portions of the upper ends of the standards 1 are rearwardly projecting upwardly curved tamper supporting arms. 22 on which is mounted a tamper supporting frame 23, said frame comprising an angle iron bar 241 having on its ends trunnions 25 which are pivotally engaged with bearing apertures in the upper ends of the arms 22. On the bar 24 are a series of upwardly projecting attaching lugs 26 to which are bolted the rear or inner ends of the series of tamper carrying bars 27, said bars being suitably connected together near their for ward end by an angle iron cross bar 28. To

each of the bars 27 is bolted a tamper 29, said tampers comprising a block or head 30 and a flat stemor shank 31, the upper ends of which are firmly bolted to the bars 27 as shown, Theheads 30 correspond substan tiallyto. the shape of the spaces between the partition plates with which they are adapted to be engaged, and said blocks or heads preferably have their edges beveled as shown.

The outer bars 27 are extended beyond the ends of the intermediate bars and are connected together by a handlebar 3.2 whereby the tamper frame and tampers may be readily swung upwardly and downwardly or raised and lowered to inoperative or 0P- erative positions for the purpose of tamping the concrete into the mold spaces between the partitions and end plates of the molds. Arranged on one end of the bar 2 1 ofthe tamper frame is an upwardly and rearwardly projecting crank arm 33 to which is secured one end of a coiled spring 34c, the opposite end of which is secured to the adjacent standard 1 of the supporting frame. When thus arranged the force of the spring Set is applied to the tamperframe to hold the same in an elevated or inoperative position and to assist in elevating the same during the tamping operation. By thus constructing and arranging my improved tamper it will be seen that the concrete in all of the mold spaces is simultaneously tamped, thus greatly expediting the tamping operation.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a slightly modified construction and arrangement of the mold parts, whereby, bricks or blocks of special size and shape are formed, said blocks being designed to be employed in connection with railway rails and to fit against the opposite sides of the webs of the rail between the base flanges and heads thereof to provide a flat surface along the sides of the rails against which the usual paving blocks or bricks may be laid. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the supporting frame 35 and operating mechanism is precisely the same as that shown in the first figures of the drawings and a further description of these parts is not. thought to be necessary, Secured to he front and rear sides or edges of the pallet supporting frame 36' are a series of upwardly projecting plates 37 which correspond to the end plates7 of the first form of the invention. The plates 37, are however of considerably less height than, the plates 7' and project a comparatively short distance above the mold bed or pal-let supporting frame. The pl tes 37' are spaced a suitable distance apart and have their 11pper corners rounded offso as to. form'substantially V -shaped spaces between the projecting upper portions of the plates as shown.

The pallet 38 is adapted to be placed on i the pallet supporting frame or mold bed 36 between the end plates 37 and slidably engaged with the pallet plate 38 are a series of partition strips 39 which correspond in cross section to the shape of the spaces between the plates 87 and when in operative position are engaged with said spaces and thus form the sides of the individual mold spaces for the bricks. The partition plates or strips 39 are secured at their rear ends to a reciprocating mechanism 40 which corresponds to the partition reciprocating mechanism shown in the first figures of the drawings and is operated in the same manner. When thus arranged the partition strips 39 are adapted to be shifted back and forth between the end plates 37 and over the pallet 38 to form the mold spaces and to retract the strips after the blockshave been formed to permit the pallet and finished blocks to be lifted from the mold bed and another pallet plate placed in position thereon.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 7-and 8 is provided with tampers 41 which are arranged and operated in the same manner as the tampers 29 shown in the first form of the invention and a further description of the tampers 41 is not thought to be necessary.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

In a brick machine, the combination with a main frame, front and rear pallet bars mounted thereon for longitudinal adjustment with respect to one another, a plurality of upstanding plates removably secured to said pallet plates, and arranged in spaced relation to one another and a pallet removably disposed between the rows of upstanding plates; of a carriage rearward of the rear pallet bar and movable longitudinally on the frame with respect thereto, said carriage including a transverse bar, a plurality of vertical spaced apart plates supported thereon, each of said plates being provided with a pair of vertically alining slots, and an additional transverse bar engaged with the upper edges of said vertical plates to support and brace the latter, end and intermediate partitions applied to the vertical plates in overlapping relation thereto, means engaged with said partitions and the slots of said vertical plates to secure the former to the latter for vertical adjustment thereon, and means for moving said carriage longitudinally on the frame to permit the partition plates to project through the spaces between the vertical plates on said pallet bars.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST F. WEGE. Witnesses:

J. E. McCoNNELL, LORA ZOELLNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

